Aaron Phillips became the latest in a long line of Academy graduates to make their full debut for the Sky Blues when he was picked to face Walsall on Saturday.

The teenager is one of seven home grown lads currently involved in Coventry City’s first team and Academy boss Gregor Rioch and his staff couldn’t be more proud to see them break through.

“We’re really pleased with Aaron who has shown great determination to be a professional footballer,” said the 38-year-old coach.

“He trains hard and works hard at his game and he’s got his just rewards. He had a few sub appearances prior to the weekend to get a little taste of it and when lads get that it sometimes kicks them on to that next level in terms of desire to achieve, and he’s done that.

“He’s all action as he showed against Wolves when he scored and got booked in the space of his ten minutes, and this week he has played a full game and we’re just so proud of him here at the Academy.

Gael Bigirimana

“I first saw him at 13 and he was one of those in that age group who we had high hopes for. At that time there were four in particular – Aaron, Conor Thomas, Gael Bigirimana and Josh Ruffels.

"One or two kicked on in that age group and one or two didn’t but all of those four ended up wearing the colours for the Sky Blues. Gael has gone in one direction and Josh another, ending up at Oxford, and we’ve got Conor who is now established.

“Conor seems to have been around for years and yet he’s only 20 – today in fact. But what he has done along with Jordan Clarke and Cyrus Christie has established himself in the first-team environment.

“And that’s the challenge now for Aaron and Jordan Willis and the like – Billy Daniels is another – to become established with a run of ten, 15 or 20 games.”

Rioch is also delighted for Jordan Clarke who has found a new niche at centre-half, albeit the converted right-back being no stranger to the position.

“I am just really pleased to see the likes of Jordan getting the headlines he deserves because he’s a local lad done good and Sky Blue through and through,” he said.

“And people are now seeing him for the qualities we always knew he had got. He had a spell at centre-back at the Academy. He has a terrific leap – as does Aaron Phillips – and is very aggressive when heading it. Aaron played at centre-back as well for the younger Academy groups.

"But it’s really good to see Jordan take a grip on that position and make it his own now.

"I think playing alongside a bigger centre-back helps him but he reads the game so well and is very quick on the ground and you need that in the modern day game.”

Ryan Haynes

As for those coming through, it seems the stability of playing back at the Alan Higgs Centre in Allard Way, coupled with the integration of the club’s young full-time apprentices at Ryton and a manager who champions the club’s own talent is a recipe for further success.

“We’re working on the next crop of lads and already seen a couple come into the spotlight a little bit,” said Rioch.

“Those in Ryan Haynes’s age group and our second-year apprentices are all desperate to earn a place and we will just keep working at that next group.

"And the good thing is we’ve got a good platform to do that now that the Higgs is pretty much settled, and that we’re back there because it’s a good environment to work from.

Gregor Rioch

“It works really well because the apprentices all have breakfast and lunch at Ryton and integrate with the senior pros and staff and then get a mini-bus to the Higgs to train.

"We weren’t able to do that before because it wasn’t embraced but the manager has embraced that and it has worked really well.

“The young lads being around the first team means they can smell it and that’s good. We’re really proud of all the boys who get on the pitch and raise the profile of the Academy, which is a good one to be at.”